YCS in United States of America

At Queen of Peace High School Chicago where my Dominican godmothers of Sinsinawa engaged me in Young Christian Students (YCS), I began to reflect on my childhood stories with a new lens—observe, judge, act in light of the Gospel.

-Patricia Nolan-Fitzgerald

Read her article Connect Cultivating Racial Justice: Whose Job Is It?

Patricia Nolan-Fitzgerald, a teacher and administrator at Queen of Peace High School for thirty years, graduated from Queen of Peace in 1968, received her bachelor of arts degree from Rosary College (now Dominican University) and her masters degree in education from Loyola University.

HISTORY OF YCS in United States: INTRODUCING YCS

(YCS Documents April 1965 Notre Dame University Archives)

High School YCS

“I became aware that my class mates, who were often enough better than I, had even given up going to Church after a few months at work. Just because I was studying for priesthood, they considered me an enemy. An abyss had opened between us. I asked myself how this change could be explained. I know that young people were not bad, many were often much better than others who had more advantages. I then realized that young people were destined to be lost to the Church while they worked. This was my first insight into the facts of the young workers lives…From that moment on, I was haunted with one thought: Save young working people! I could foresee the multitude of young people, forced to quit school at thirteen and fourteen years of age, entering a corrupting environment, with the result that in few months one could no longer recognize in thel what they wanted to be. They had been given an altogether false idea of work, of dating, of love, and of marriage. From the ages of fourteen entirely new problems confronted them, and there was no to help them solve these problems.” Cardijn Story.

These are the words of Father (Cardinal) Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers, a movement recognised by the Holy See in 1925 and officially set up by Pius XII in 1957. Cardijn started working with the young people in 1912 in a suburb of Brussels, but without much success. During his imprisonment by the Germans in World War I he was able to analyze his failures and work out the beginning of new approach to the problems of their surroundings. The YCW group began working for human and Christian restoration of paganized institutions by means of their meeting in which the members had Gospel and Liturgy discussions, and the social inquiry- the observe/see- judge, and act-to discuss problems.

In 1931 Pope Pius XI urged young people in high school to recognize the need of forming themselves by working on the problems, around them before starting to work. As a result, in France, Belgium, Holland and few other countries there was the beginning and growth of the Young Christian Students. In 1938 Father Don Kanaly was one of the first priests to bring YCW to the United States, starting in the mid-west area. The YCS was started in 1939 in several places in this country (United States).

I. PURPOSE

a. Re-Christianization of Society

Reality of the world in which young people live, we find many complex problems: false ideas and ideals of life; Early marriages, racial prejudices, cheating in school; no appreciation of the role of lay people in the world and church. These are daily problems..

Observe as global citizens

b. Formation of Leaders in Christ through Action

1. We work on a like-to like basis

2. We employ the Scripture Inquiry

3. through the Liturgy Discussion

4. through the Social Inquiry : involve three steps –see-Judge-Act (Individual and Group)

YCS STARTING POINT
College YCS- United States of America